Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Whittier College football team fell to the Bulldogs of the University of Redlands 49-6 at Ted Runner Stadium in front of a fan base of over 1,000 as big plays ended up being the downfall for the Poets. 

Whittier coming off of an offensive display last week against Pomona-Pitzer now falls to 2-6, 1-4 in SCIAC play, while Redlands now improves to 7-1. 

Senior Matt Evans who threw for four touchdowns in the second half of Whittier's victory over Pomona-Pitzer last week carried the Poets on the evening as he threw for 172 yards on 10-32 passing, while rushing for the lone Poet touchdown.

When Redlands got up 14-0, it looked like the Poets might be heading into an early hole, but Evans marched the Poets down the field but were forced to punt after a gain of 24 yards. From there Redlands added four more touchdowns to extend their lead to 42-0 heading into the break. 

Chad Hurst rushed for four touchdowns and 138 yards, while Brad Crisanty rushed for 133 yards and two scores to help Redlands extend their win streak to five. 

Donell Griffin Jr. muscled and sprinted to a hard 67 yards on 14 carries, while Kimble Tillman had five carries for 31 yards. 

The Purple and Gold did show life in the passing game though as senior Oreese Hoyes finished with 103 yards on seven receptions with a long of 47. 

Whittier forced its way into the red zone for the first time all game with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Evans capped off the Poets' five-play, 42-yard drive with a nine-yard scoring run. The Bulldog defense stifled the two-point conversion attempt, holding the Poets to just six points on the night.

The defense on the evening was led by Nathan Poole who collected 10 tackles (1 solo, 9 assisted), while Charles Scicli finished the evening with nine tackles (3 solo, 9 assisted).

Despite being nearly equal in the passing game with Redlands, the rushing game was the difference as the Bulldogs outrushed the Poets 344-124 helping them preserve the 49-6 victory.           

The Poets return to action as they travel to the University of La Verne, Saturday November 12 for their final regular season contest with game time slated for 1pm.